A New Fairy Tail
by ForeverBrunette
Summary: Set before the S-class exams, a new girl named Evangeline joins the guild. But she has a past that only Laxus completely understands. They latch onto each other as siblings. The guild works to protect the new girl from both herself and her past. Along the way, she meets some interesting people and gets cozy in her new family. Can she truly escape her past? Pairings unknown.
1. Welcome to Fairy Tail!

**Okay, so this is my first Fairy Tail fanfiction. But I finished episode 175 and started thinking about some things that could have happened in the rest of the episodes. Then I wanted to make my own character. So I did. :D This story is set before the S-class exams because I wanted Juvia and Wendy to be part of the story. I hope you guys all enjoy this story. Please read and review. Also, I did this in my other stories, but I will mention the names of those who review my story in the Author's Note of every update unless they specify that they don't want their name up here. Just to give you fair warning. I really hope you guys like this. I worked hard on making everything work right. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima. But, I do own the OC Evangeline.**

A cool breeze whispered across her skin, raising goose bumps in its wake. She tightened her fingers around the strap at her shoulder and quickened her pace. She could feel her long brown hair blow around her shoulders as it tried to get in her face as if it had a mind of its own. Her black flats made a light tapping sound against the cobblestone beneath her. She watched people file past her in a hurry. From what she could gather, a huge party was about to take place. She heard whisperings of the festival being thrown by a large organization known as Fairy Tail. Immediately, she asked for directions to where she could find such an organization.

Meanwhile, at Fairy Tail, the building was abuzz with preparations for the party they were throwing. Everyone was placing their bets with Wendy about how far into the festival they would get before Natsu caused a brawl. No one was immune to the excitement; even Gajeel was helping Levy put streamers on the pillars around the guild. Lucy watched everyone run around and tried to stay out of their way. Hell, even Cana had forgone her morning drinking to help everyone. Eventually, she settled on sitting herself at the bar and resting her head against the cool wood of the counter.

The guild doors opened but no one turned to see who it was; too wrapped up in their preparations. No one noticed the brunette take slow, measured steps across the guild toward the bar where she saw someone simply sitting there. She figured the girl could help her since she wasn't busy. She tapped the blonde on the shoulder lightly to get her attention. Lucy sat up and turned to the girl with a look of irritation before realizing there was a new face in front of her. A bright smile lit up her face, causing her large brown eyes to sparkle. She brunette stared at her with a curious expression reflected in her deep green eyes that she was told were the color of fresh grass.

The brunette offered a small smile in return before sticking out her hand. "My name is Evangeline," she said quietly. "I was told this was home to the Fairy Tail guild."

Lucy shook the girl's hand with a bright smile adorning her face. She nodded before speaking. "Yes this is Fairy Tail. My name is Lucy. It's nice to meet you. Would you like to speak with the master?"

Evangeline nodded and followed Lucy up the stairs. The noise in the guild seemed to be growing behind them but the two girls just ignored it; one because it was normal for her and the other because she was not interested in their activities right now. Lucy tapped her knuckles against the wooden door to the master's office, giving Evangeline a brief glance at the pink guild mark on the girl's right hand. Master Makorov opened the door and was met with a smiling Lucy and a timid Evangeline.

He smiled gently. "Lucy," he addressed the blonde. "Who is the young lady hiding behind you?" He tried to move to get a good luck at the brunette who just hid further behind Lucy. He chuckled softly. "Well come in children."

The girls followed him into his office and sat down in the couch opposite his large wood desk. _Strange_, Evangeline thought. _He is such a small old man, yet he has such a large desk_.

"Master," Lucy said to get the master's attention. "This is Evangeline. She just walked into the guild and wanted to see you."

"I see," he said thoughtfully. He turned to Evangeline. "Well child I am Master Makorov. What is it you seek?"

Evangeline turned her face to her lap where she was picking at her nails out of nervousness. She mumbled something softly.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to need you to repeat that."

"I want a place where I will be safe to be myself." Evangeline's voice grew a little louder, just loud enough for the other people in the room to hear her.

Makorov leaned back slightly. "Why do you seek it here? Why not your home?"

A tear slid down Evangeline's cheek but she hid her face. "My father died when I was a baby and my mother kicked me out a while back. She didn't like what I had become and sent me out of her house. I don't have a place to stay where I can be myself. I always have to hide my true self. I just want to feel safe and loved."

"I understand child. But you do know this is a wizard guild, right?" He raised a fluffy white eyebrow.

Evangeline nodded. "I am a wizard, sir. If I were not, I would not have come." She bowed her head again. "Please sir. My mother abandoned me because she was afraid of my magic. She didn't understand how I became a wizard when there was no one in my family who had ever become a wizard."

Makorov sighed. "I am so sorry, child. I wish these misfortunes had never befallen you." Quickly he raised his head with a beaming smile. "But now that they have, let us make light of them and introduce you as a member of Fairy Tail!"

Evangeline looked to the kind old man with gratitude shining in her eyes. Just this morning she had been ready to isolate herself in Mt. Hokobe. But now she had a home and a family. She only hoped they would see her as family as well. Mirajane burst into the room suddenly with a kind smile while her breathing calmed from panting to even.

"Sorry to disturb you Master," she said in her sing-song voice. "But it seems Laxus has returned to the guild." Her blue eyes settled on Evangeline. "Oh, hi. I'm Mirajane and who are you?"

Evangeline stood and stuck out her hand. "I am Evangeline," she said softly. "I am interested in joining the guild."

Mirajane squealed and rushed downstairs. Evangeline exchanged a look with Lucy who just told her to go with it. The white-haired woman came back with a stamp. "What color and where?"

Evangeline looked at her in confusion. "What?"

Mirajane giggled. "Sorry. What color do you want your guild mark to be and where do you want it?"

Evangeline sucked in a breath through her teeth. She had thought about this many times before but had never actually decided. Finally she smiled after giving it some thought and looked to Mirajane. "Crimson. And I want it on my chest over my heart." Evangeline pointed her finger to the expanse of skin exposed by her tank top where most people would lay their hand over their heart-slightly to her left of her sternum on her breast.

Mirajane smiled softly. "We've never had a girl take the guild mark on her chest before," she mused. She stamped the girl over the heart. Evangeline looked down at it and grinned wildly. She felt happy and loved; something she thought she'd never feel again.

Master looked at the three girls who had joined in a group hug with a smile. His children. He had a new addition to the family. He could barely contain his joy. Now they had something else to celebrate!

The sound of a throat clearing brought the four from their respective musings. They all whipped their heads to the door to see a blond man with a scar over his right eye and a sleeveless shirt trimmed with fur. He eyed the girls curiously before turning to his grandfather.

"Gramps," the man said in his deep voice. "You called?"

Master nodded his head. "But first," he said out of nowhere. "We need to introduce our new member to the guild!"

The small old man jumped up from his desk and out of the office to stand on top of the railing above his children. He stood there with his hands on his hips as he watched them work on preparing for the party. He smiled softly before using his loudest voice to gain everyone's attention. Immediately the whole guild fell silent and their eyes turned to him. They watched him, waiting for his announcement. Erza held Natsu and Gray apart from each other so that they would concentrate on the master.

"Now listen up brats," he boomed. "We have a new member today. I expect all of you to welcome her with open arms and warm hearts. Fairy Tail, meet Evangeline!" He grasped the girl's wrist in his hand and pulled her forward to stand above all her new guild-mates.

She smiled bashfully and gave them a small wave. Every guy in the room couldn't take their eyes off of her, making her blush slightly under their gaze. All the girls smiled at the antics of the men they shared a home with before grinning to the new girl above them.

They couldn't help but recognize this girl's beauty. Her long mahogany-colored hair brushed against her shoulder blades left uncovered by her tight purple spaghetti-strap tank top that. Her wide hips were sheathed inside a pair of simple blue jeans that hugged her legs all the way to her ankles where a pair of black flats adorned her feet. The most captivating part of this girl was her green eyes, though. They were so rich and bright in color and yet so deep with emotion and secrets. They were beautiful. The girls sighed in envy while the guys sighed in pleasure as they fantasized about the girl.

"What is your magic, sweetheart?" one of the guys called out from below.

Again, Evangeline blushed quietly before looking toward the master as if to ask permission to answer the question. The master nodded for her to go on with an encouraging smile, slightly hidden by his bushy white mustache.

Evangeline took a deep breath before speaking. "I am able to use lightning and a form of soul magic."

Murmurs erupted around the guild before Bickslow stood up from his table with the Thunder God Tribe. Evangeline couldn't see his eyes through the visor he wore over half his face and simply cocked her head at this weird man on his feet. He seemed to be looking at her but she couldn't see the expression on his face.

"What do you mean by soul magic?" he asked seriously. The whole guild looked from him to the girl above them with sudden interest.

Evangeline cocked her head to the other side and furrowed her brow at the strange man. She could have sworn she saw a black mark on his tongue. She shook her head to clear away the ridiculous thought and moved on. "I can see the souls of others. I see their deepest, darkest secrets, their strengths and weaknesses, their hopes and dreams. I can see it all. I can also take control of their soul and bend its will however I wish. I'm still pretty new at it though, so I'm not as strong as I hope to be one day."

Evergreen and Freed both looked between Bickslow and Evangeline with shock. They didn't quite know what to do with this information. She basically shared the same magic as Bickslow. They couldn't quite believe it! The whole guild was surprised. Bickslow's magic was rare, but here were two mages trained in the magic. They couldn't quite believe their eyes.

Evangeline processed the shock in everyone's soul and face before turning to the master questioningly. "Did I say something wrong?" she asked carefully.

She felt a delicate hand on her shoulder and turned around quickly, not knowing who it was. When she saw it was Mirajane, she relaxed. Mirajane smiled softly.

"No you didn't," she said happily. "We just thought Bickslow was the only one who could control or work with souls. To see you here is simply amazing to us."

A blush colored Evangeline's cheeks once more. "Who is Bickslow?"

Mirajane giggled and pointed to the strange man who had stood up with a visor on his face. He seemed to still be staring at her, making her fidget slightly. "He is just shocked is all."

Evangeline nodded before turning to look at the man called Bickslow. She took in his strange costume before giving him a small smile. He seemed to snap out of his statue-like state and grinned back at her, his tongue sticking out. She gasped slightly when she noticed she hadn't been imagining the black mark on his tongue. He actually had the Fairy Tail insignia on his tongue! She giggled lightly at the image of Makorov trying to stamp his mark on him.

Finally, the guild returned to normal. Everyone got back to work setting up for tonight. Natsu and Gray attacked each other while Erza was turned around. So Lucy ran down the stairs to stop them before Erza was forced to knock them out. They eventually turned around and worked on opposite sides of the room. Lucy nodded her approval and looked around to find something to do. Mirajane went to work the bar and help get drinks for everyone. Evangeline was left on her own upstairs with the master when she suddenly remembered something. She ran back into the master's office to see the blond guy sitting at the desk with his feet propped up on the wood. He raised a brow at the girl who just barged in.

Once she was inside, she blushed and got nervous. She had no idea why she ran in here. She just wanted to know what he thought of her since she got everyone else's opinion and he was nowhere in sight. The man sighed and pushed away from the desk. He stood up and walked around to the other side of the desk, facing her, and leaned against it.

"I heard you also work with lightning," he said. It wasn't a question or clarification; simply a statement.

She nodded. "Yes," she said softly. "I was actually able to use the magic when I was a toddler. My mother told me that Evil had decided I was to be its vessel and gave me the magic at a young age so that it could work its way into the world." She looked down to the floor. She didn't even understand why she was sharing all this with a stranger. He didn't care about her life story.

She felt large calloused fingers grip her chin and force her face to look into eyes the color of a storm. She held back a gasp at his proximity and simply stared back while he searched her eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I understand that parents can be asses sometimes. But you just have to show them they were wrong and move on. Although, my parent purposefully woke my magical ability out of a selfish desire to gain power. Our powers may have come with a different context, but I understand the pain that looms in your heart."

This time, she didn't fight the gasp that crawled from her throat. Tears pricked her eyes. How was it this strange man could make her feel so loved and warm inside by simply sympathizing with her. Without thinking, she threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She held back her tears and choked out a "thanks" into his shoulder. She was so happy someone else understood her situation.

"I guess no one has ever comforted you, have they?" His voice held a slight tinge of sadness and surprise when he spoke.

She shook her head into his shoulder. A sob finally came out past her lips and tears soaked into his shirt. "No one ever cared." Her words were a mumble and she didn't think he heard, but his dragon-slayer senses picked up on them.

He sighed before wrapping his arms around the girl and let his face settle in the crook of her neck. A feeling of warmth settled in his stomach when he held this girl. He didn't understand why, but he felt the need to protect her from harm. He took a breath and was hit with the smell off grass after it had rained. He sighed. She smelt safe. He liked that.

Suddenly, Master Makorov entered the room and cleared his throat at the display his grandson was making. He smiled at the two locked in an embrace. He knew Laxus wouldn't do anything to hurt the girl, but he couldn't stop himself from worrying about her. What happened in her past that was so horrible even Laxus took pity on her?

"Gramps," Laxus greeted him gruffly. He let go of the girl slowly and held her at arm's length. He looked into her eyes seriously. "Why don't you go sit with my team? They are at the table where Bickslow is. I'm sure you can find him. They will make you feel at home. Just tell them I sent you to them. And you will never have to worry about your safety again. Now you have Fairy Tail to keep you safe. And if they fail, which they won't, you always can count on me."

The girl nodded in gratitude before wiping the tears from her eyes and smiling wide at him. "Thank you so much! And I'm so sorry but I didn't catch your name."

He smiled softly at the girl. "My name is Laxus." She nodded and turned to walk out the door when he called her name. She looked at him and he winked before charges of electricity wrapped around his body. She gasped and then smiled knowing he was like her. She felt happy for the first time in a long time. She stepped out of the office and shut the door behind her.

Master turned to Laxus with a serious expression. "You already like her, don't you?" The old man didn't need his grandson's confirmation, though. He could see it in the way his eyes softened when he looked at the girl.

Regardless, Laxus nodded his head and looked to his grandfather. "She had a rough start to her life. I feel for her. And when she's around me, I feel warmer. I already love her like a little sister." He glanced toward the door where she just walked out before turning back to the master, his eyes hardened. "And I'll be damned if anyone tries to hurt her ever again!"

Makorov smiled and nodded at his grandson. "She's a Fairy Tail wizard. She won't have to worry about that ever again. Now I need to talk to you about something serious." He waited until he had Laxus's full attention before speaking again. "As you know, the S-class exams are coming up and I feel like not having you there would be more of a hindrance than anything else. So, I am inviting you to come back home."

Laxus looked at his grandfather, his master, with wide eyes. He knew the S-class exams story was an excuse to cover up the fact that the old man missed him, but he chose to simply let it be so as not to push his luck. "You sure, Gramps? After everything?"

"Of course I'm sure, you idiot!" Makorov slapped his grandson on his head. "If I wasn't I wouldn't have said anything." He then smiled at Laxus. "So what do you say?"

Laxus smirked at the old man. "What kind of stupid question is that? Of course I accept the invitation."

The master stamped the insignia back onto Laxus's flesh with a grin. "Now get out of here, brat!"

Laxus nodded with a smile and left the old man in his office where he cried in joy at having his family together plus one more. He was excited to see what this new girl could do and how she would do in his family. He shrugged after some thought and took a long drink of his beer before setting it back down on the table with a sigh.

"I have a feeling this is going to be an exciting year," he said to himself before taking another drink of his beer.

**Okay, so I haven't quite figured out the pairings quite yet so if you review, please let me know different pairings you would like to see. Any character from any part of the storyline will do. If it's from a different point in time from this point, I can work it in no problem. Just let me know. Also, I will be writing the next chapter in Evangeline's POV. Let me know if you don't like that idea. If you don't, please offer a suggestion instead of simply saying "no" because that's not reason enough for me. Thank you! Hope you enjoyed!**


	2. Thunder God Tribe

**Hey so I decided to update without any reviews. I would have updated sooner but the lack of reviews got me a little down so I didn't have the motivation to write. Sorry to those who actually read this story. I just didn't know how to continue. I hope you enjoy what I have here. But it's not much.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. Only Evangeline.**

I walked down the stairs slowly while I searched out Laxus's team out of all the commotion in the guild. When I reached the bottom, I finally saw them. They were sitting at a table in the far corner, trying not to get involved with the mayhem going on around them. I smiled fondly at them and made my way over. I wasn't expecting much of a welcoming party so I was more than surprised when Bickslow stood up and offered me his hand.

I stared at his hand without really doing anything for a moment. "My name's Bickslow," he said with a grin. I looked up at his face, his smile sincere.

"Hi," I said meekly and took his hand. "My name is Evangeline." He shook my hand with vigor and his grin grew.

"Yeah I know," he laughed. "I was there for your introduction."

My cheeks burned with a furious blush as I took my hand back and let it hang at my hip. Suddenly, a woman with beautiful red hair and glasses stepped up next to Bickslow with a slight haughty glare at him. She turned to me and smiled. She flicked her long brown hair over her shoulder covered by a brown fur-trimmed jacket. I put my hand out to her to shake her hair but she swatted it away.

"My name's Evergreen," she said with a grin. She smoothed out her skin-tight dress over her stockings and pulled me into a hug. "You can call me Ever." She kissed my cheek and sat back down at the table without another glance toward me. She instead chose to look out at the commotion behind me.

I simply stared at her with my head cocked to the side. Why does she seem so warm-hearted, yet cold? Is she just being fake about liking me? I focused in on the middle of her chest and blinked. In that moment, I opened up my Sight, as I call it, and observed her soul. Her soul was radiating out from her with an orange color that surrounded her skin and attempted to reach out to others around her. So she's not being fake, it seems. She just doesn't like to show too much sympathy and "vulnerability" around her team. Her soul tells me she's actually very warm and enthusiastic about life. I smiled softly and giggled to myself.

I heard a throat clear and whipped around to see a man elegantly dressed with long green hair and an old-style red suit. His soul screamed at me in multiple hues of green. It crawled around him and felt the air around him. It wanted me to know that he was clear-headed and calm. I smiled. He stared at me in confusion. "What are you doing," he asked. I blinked when I registered his gaze and his soul disappeared from my vision.

"Hi," I said with an embarrassed laugh. "Sorry about that. I was just letting my mind wander." I rubbed the back of my head and tried to pretend like nothing happened.

"No you weren't," he said matter-of-factly. "Your eyes changed. It was like ink was bleeding into your irises."

"Excuse you?" I gave him my full attention. I noticed Bickslow and Ever did too.

"Yeah, when you were staring at Ever and me." He looked pensive, thinking about what that could mean.

My eyes went wide and my spine rigid. "Oh no," I whispered as my eyes fell to the floor and my hands clutched my head. "I'm so sorry! Please don't hate me. Please don't yell at me," I whispered at them. "I'm so sorry." Tears gathered in my eyes.

A hand rested on my shoulder lightly, causing me to look up and gaze at the person who seemed to want to comfort me. I came face to face with the green-haired-guy's deep blue eyes. He had a small smile on his face as he watched me. His eyes searched mine before he wiped away a stray tear that fell down my cheek without me paying attention.

"It's okay," he whispered to me. "It's going to be okay. Nobody is mad at you. Just curious."

I looked behind him to where Ever and Bickslow were watching the interaction in slight confusion. I could still hear the rest of the guild continue preparations. I was just glad I didn't make a scene. I smiled in return and blushed slightly.

"Sorry," I said to them. "Just a reaction from my past. Where I came from, my magic was not accepted."

Before I could take a breath to explain what I was doing, Ever jumped into me, knocking me to the floor, and wrapping her arms around me. She was crying and rubbing her face against mine as if it were some form of comfort. It reminded me of a cat. She kept apologizing for my suffering and wishing she could do something for me.

I simply patted her back and looked to Bickslow or the guy still standing next to him. My eyes beseeched theirs for help. The guy took a step forward to help me but Bickslow stopped him. "Don't," he said. "I want to see how this ends." He gave a deep, rumbling laugh. Slightly annoyed with them, I looked at Ever the best I could and blinked, opening up my Sight again.

I ignored the gasp I heard from one of the guys and stared at her soul. I sent forward waves of comfort and serenity until she finally relaxed on top of me and got up. I gave her some self-control and she fixed her dress and hair before sitting back down and apologizing for her indecent behavior. I smiled and shut down my Sight.

I stood and brushed myself off, straightening out my clothes. I looked up to the guys and noticed them staring at Ever and me in shock and awe. I went to ask them what they were gawking at when the guy shook his head and stepped forward to me. He grasped my small hand in his large, delicate one. He slowly bowed and rested his lips against the back of my hand. "My name is Freed," he said in a relaxing voice. "I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier. I got distracted." He threw a smile my way and stood back up. "The three of us make up a team with Laxus. We call ourselves the Thunder God Tribe."

I raised an eyebrow at their team name but didn't bring it up. "Oh it's fine," I said off-handedly. "I'm sorry I kind of lost it after you asked about my eyes."

Freed smiled in understanding. "It's okay. Like I said, no one blames you. Did you forget that Bickslow shares your magic?"

I turned to Bickslow with a sheepish smile. "Actually, yeah."

He scoffed. "It's okay, Eve," he dismissed. "I understand how easy it is to forget things in this chaos of a guild."

I smiled and nodded. "So…I take it ya'll want to know now about my eyes and why they do what they do."

"Yes we do," Freed said excitedly. Then he frowned. "But I do have to ask…why did your eyes turn completely black when you were staring at Ever last?"

I frowned in response. "I forgot about that," I whispered to myself. I shook off the doubt and fear and looked up at these new people with a smile. I opened my mouth to speak when Laxus threw himself into a chair at the table and rested his chin in his palm as he looked at me. He gave me a reassuring smile to keep me talking. I smiled with a slight nod.

"Well, the first time I looked at Ever and you, Freed, my eyes looked different a little bit, right?" They nodded. "That's because my Sight was activated and I was using it to Read. And then the last time I looked at Ever, and my eyes turned completely black was because I was Bending." They cocked their heads to the sides in confusion. Except for Bickslow; he seemed to understand the gist of what I was talking about. I sighed. "I call it my Sight when I use my soul magic. Reading is what I call it when I'm looking at a soul and I'm reading the personality, the emotions, and the intentions of the person. And I call it Bending when I'm controlling that person's emotions, intentions, and basic personality. But all my Bends on personality are temporary so far since I haven't practiced much."

Everyone around me nodded solemnly, now understanding my abilities and what I was doing. Then Ever whipped her eyes around to me with a slight blush on her cheeks. "What exactly did you see?" she asked carefully.

I laughed at that. "I saw your soul. You really are such a warm person with such enthusiasm and loyalty to this guild. It was an orange color. And it just surrounded your body like a blanket. I thought it reminded me of the beach." She stared at me in wonder before blushing furiously.

"You could tell all that just from my soul?"

"Of course. I told you, I can see your emotions and personality." I smiled at her.

Laxus grinned and shook his head. Bickslow looked proud for some odd reason. Freed shook his head in wonder. "And your eyes? Why exactly do they do it?"

I frowned in thought. "I don't really know," I said pensively. "My mom used to tell me it was pure evil worming its way out and that my eyes were my brand that cursed me to a life filled with it. But now that I'm here, I don't think I believe that anymore."

Bickslow stared at me in shock before his mouth turned down and his fists clenched at his side. "Damn people," he spit out through clenched teeth. He took off his mask, letting me see the tattoo of a paper person laid across his face. "I understand, Eve. I was branded too. My eyes weren't a good enough brand for my village so they put this creepy figure on my face, so that I would live with my sin for the rest of my life."

I looked into his dark green eyes and simply stared into them. I wasn't going to look at his soul. I try not to do it unless I have to. But right now, I didn't need to, his eyes gave away everything I needed to know. He was in pain. My eyes softened as my hands cupped up his cheeks without thinking. Without warning, I tilted my head back and threw it forward into his forehead.

With a thud, he fell to the ground, clutching the newly-formed bruise on his face. Then I realized the guild was too quiet. I turned around to see the whole guild staring at me in shock and confusion. Some of them looked excited, which only made my skin crawl.

"What?" I asked nervously. "I was defending myself. His eyes were pulsating with the intent to use his magic on me. I refuse to let another soul mage use his magic on me. Especially for what he was planning." By the end of my explanation I was in a huff and crossed my arms across my chest.

The whole guild laughed and went back to work. I turned around to talk to the Thunder God Tribe some more when I felt a strong hand grip my upper arm and start pulling me backwards further into the guild. I yelled out for my new friends to help me but they only laughed and shook their heads while Laxus helped Bickslow off the floor.

I twisted and kicked at my kidnapper in frustration. "Let me go!" I yelled.

The person laughed in a deep voice, letting me know it was a guy. "No, we need to talk," he said. I twisted my head to look at him and saw a guy with pink hair smiling ear to ear.

"Natsu!" a shirtless guy with black hair yelled from across the guild hall. "Get back here now!"

"Not right now!" Natsu yelled back. "Actually, Gray, come with me! We need to figure out what this newcomer is made of!"

Gray smiled with interest and followed without another word. A girl with red hair, and the girl I knew as Lucy shook their heads and smiled. They looked toward each other to ask if this was okay and finally nodded. "You've got this," Lucy yelled toward me. "Just be careful, please."

I groaned. What am I getting myself into?

**Hey so I hope you enjoyed this story. I am really encouraging you to review this story with any form of criticism and feedback. I don't know where I want to go with this one and I feel really unmotivated to continue when I don't really have anyone telling me what they like and what they don't like. I just would like to know that at least one person out there reads this and likes it. So. I won't update again until I've gotten at least one review for this story. Please and thank you. **


	3. Welcome Home

**Sorry to those who actually read this story. It took me a while because I have classes and didn't want to slack off. That, and I couldn't figure out what to do from that last chapter. But I figured it out. Let me know what you think about the story so far. I would love some feedback. And thank you to those guests who reviewed and to who also reviewed. I appreciate it. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairytail. Only Evangeline. Hiro Mashima owns Fairytail.**

Once outside, the guy called Natsu dropped me on the floor unceremoniously. I landed with a thud and rubbed my now bruised backside. I snapped my head up to look him and his friend in the eyes stubbornly. _What the hell did they want with me_? I looked over to the guy he called Gray and arched an eyebrow since he seemed the more sane one out of the two. He simply raised his hands in surrender and backed away with a smile and a shake of his head. I looked over to Natsu haughtily.

"So," I said with a glare. "What in the world were you thinking dragging me out here?"

He only grinned. "I wasn't really," he admitted proudly. "I just wanted to fight you to see what kind of mage you are." His grin grew as if he were proud of this accomplishment.

My face settled into one of disbelief. _You have got to be kidding me_. I looked around and noticed this seemed to be some sort of training ground for the guild to use behind the building. I also noticed that some of the other guild members had decided to follow us outside to see the commotion about to begin. I shook my head. They didn't help me because they wanted to watch the outcome of Natsu's antics. This is ridiculous. I looked to the back of the group and saw Laxus's group making their way to the front to get a better view of the fight. Bickslow gave me a wide grin in reassurance before putting his visor back on.

I sighed and stood slowly to my full height in front of Natsu and Gray. I brushed the dirt off my pants and looked up at them with a cold, calculating expression. Natsu smiled wide and shifted into a fighting stance. Gray shrugged to himself and stood next to Natsu in a battle stance as well with a smirk on his face. I noticed that he had somehow managed to get his shirt off without my noticing and a light blush stained my cheeks. But my face did not shift expressions. I was caught off guard somewhat when Natsu's hands were suddenly set aflame and Gray's seemed to frost over. I regained my composure and simply shifted into my own battle stance.

"I'm all fired up," Natsu exclaimed.

I smiled slightly and gave them a wink. "Bring it on, boys," I said with a slightly excited tone of voice.

Natsu and Gray's grins grew wider before they both charged at me. I immediately threw myself into the air and landed behind them, standing tall and regal with a smirk gracing my face.

"Why don't you try that again?" They turned around at the sound of my voice and they both made determined faces.

They charged again. But this time I simply stood there and closed my eyes, concentrating on the environment around me. I identified every movement and sound around me before finding and focusing on Natsu and Gray's movements as they punched at me and threw their spells. I was able to dodge every one of them before I noticed them slowing down somewhat. I took that opportunity to jump into the air and landed on the complete opposite side of the field to buy some time for myself. I could feel their souls bristle in confusion and knew they had turned to look at me. I focused solely on their souls and opened my eyes to them running at me with my Sight on. I had no time to really Read their souls, so I settled for an impromptu Bend. I watched their souls flare out in every direction as they ran. I smiled at their chaos and sent order their way. It calmed their souls and they started to slow. They gave each other a look of uncertainty before turning to look at me. They continued to run, though. I shook my head and sent them feelings of exhaustion, satisfaction, and contentment. Finally they stopped.

The two mages dropped to the ground like flies and simply lied there panting. They seemed confused too. I watched their souls calm down and simply fill the air around them, nearly touching the other. Natsu had vibrant hues of red and orange that seemed to burn around him. His soul looked like flames that were barely controlled around him. He was an exuberant one with plenty of energy to spare and more passion than he knew what to do with. He was surely going to be an interesting new character in my life. Whereas, Gray's soul was dominated by yellow and some slight reddening around the edge. He was stimulated with a clear head and exuded power and strength. But there was a gray color that lurked at the very center of his soul. It was really easy to miss if I weren't paying attention. That graying of his soul worried me somewhat. _What had he gone through to put that degree of sadness in his heart_? I was snapped back to reality by the sounds of clapping and cheering from the audience I had forgotten was watching us.

I blinked and turned off my Sight quickly so that I wasn't intruding on anyone else's personal lives. I cast a quick concerned glance to the Ice Make wizard before I was swooped into thick, strong arms. I shrieked in surprise before laughing when I looked down into Laxus's smiling face. His eyes shone with pride. I gave him a quizzical look, not quite understanding why he would be proud of me.

"I can't believe you actually pulled it off," he laughed heartily. "I've never seen those two drop that fast. And you came out of the whole thing without a single scratch. You didn't even lift a finger!" He seemed really excited about this. I smiled at him slightly.

"Well, I didn't want to hurt them," I said lightly as way of an explanation. "Their souls only told of their enthusiasm. Who was I to take it seriously?" I shrugged.

Suddenly the cheers stopped. Everyone stared at me dumbfounded. I looked around, worried that I upset someone. The one that broke the silence was Bickslow with his chuckle that turned into full-on laughter. He doubled over, clutching his side as he struggled to compose himself. Then everyone was in hysterics around us. Even Laxus had to put me down to laugh. I looked around at the two boys who had yet to get back on their feet and then to the guild that couldn't stay on their feet from laughter.

"You beat them," Bickslow coughed. "You didn't leave or take a single mark. And you weren't even brawling with them seriously!" He wheezed out the last part of his sentence through his laughter and fell to the ground.

Natsu groaned from behind me. "You weren't even serious?"

I shrugged. "Sorry but I didn't want to upset you."

My comment seemed to have struck a chord because the whole guild was laughing even harder. I eventually gave in and started laughing with them. Once I finally controlled myself, I managed to send out quick waves of control to everyone in the guild so they could settle down. I didn't even need to open up my Sight since I only really need that if I'm planning on Reading someone to understand their current state before Bending it. But I really didn't need to understand any of their souls to know they needed help regaining their composure. Slowly my feelings made it out to everyone in the guild as they all calmed down and smiled at me.

A hand clasped on my shoulder from behind me suddenly, startling me out of my daze. Without bothering to figure out who it was, I immediately grabbed that person's arm and threw them over me to land in a heap on the ground at my feet. I looked down at Gray smiling apologetically at me.

I blushed slightly and let go. I offered my hand to help him up and he got up to his feet. "Sorry Gray," I said sheepishly. "Instinctive reaction."

He laughed. "It's no big deal," he said. "I just wanted to congratulate you. That was a good match. Even if you weren't being serious about it."

I smiled under his praise. "Thanks."

"He's not just saying it," a deep voice rumbled from behind me. I turned to look up at Laxus. "You did real good out there. I'm proud of you. I hope to see you when you're serious one day." He ruffled my hair before turning to go back inside. With him, the whole guild filed back in through the doors. The last to follow was Gray, dragging a sleeping Natsu through the door. When the doors shut, I breathed a sigh of exhaustion and turned around to sit in the middle of the field, only to run into a wall.

I looked up, rubbing my forehead, to see Bickslow standing there with his visor covering the majority of his face. I took a step back and blushed slightly, mumbling an apology. I went to step around him when he wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"Where are you going?" His voice seemed softer than when he was in front of the guild.

I pointed to the middle of the field. "I was going to meditate some," I explained. "To recharge some of my energy and to hone my magic."

He nodded. "Mind if I join you?"

I thought about it for a few seconds. "I don't know. I've never meditated with other people around. When I meditate, I tend to let my magic out somewhat to test its projection. I don't want to look into your soul and invade your privacy."

He shook his head. "You won't. I'll put my guard up so you can't break through."

I was skeptical. No one has ever been able to hide their soul from me. But maybe he will be different since he shares my magic. He'll know how to guard his soul from someone who can read souls. He understands more. At least, I think he would. I sighed deeply and nodded.

"Follow me." I said nothing else as I walked to the center of the field and collapsed onto the ground on my back. I let myself spread out into a comfortable position so as much skin as possible was touching the grass beneath me.

I heard Bickslow do the same and shut the blue sky from my vision. I took deep inhales, held them in for five seconds, and then exhaled slowly. As I did this, I imagined the world falling away from me. I told my body to ignore the feeling of lush grass beneath my fingertips. I ignored the sweet scent of dew still not disrupted from the blades of grass. I tuned out the sounds of bird chirping in the trees a few feet away. I didn't even allow my mind to register that there was another person next to me. I simply let the world disappear around me. Once I was sure my senses were dulled to almost nonexistent, I let my magic loose.

I could feel the tendrils of my soul reach out to the world around me to register every little thing. And just like that, my Sight was opened. During meditation, my Sight opens up on a mental level so that I can "see" the world around me and not lose track of my surroundings. I could feel the grass, but not with my skin. It was as if my soul was lying in the grass. The feeling was only a whisper. I pushed my soul to explore more of the world around me. It expanded as much as it could from just my skin and that's when I felt it.

Bickslow wasn't able to put up a strong enough wall. I could feel his soul. It was screaming at me. It whipped and thrashed at my own. It was in chaos. Through my mind's eye I could see the gray that filled a majority of his soul and the black pinprick at the center of his soul. But his soul blended other colors into the gray. There was red, purple, green, and a blue I've only ever seen in the ocean waters after a storm. He was passionate and warm. He held a creativity and mysticism that I would assume came with being a mage like me. His green screamed out his clarity and how much he wanted to grow from every experience. The blue seemed to calm my panicking soul and allowed it to console his soul. His soul that had tried to push mine away, suddenly welcomed my presence. It melted into it. And then I felt like I was being sucked into a hole. I could feel the entirety of my being melt away. I was wrapped in emotions I knew weren't mine. I was feeling pain that I've known but it wasn't mine. I felt like I couldn't breathe. I was suffocating in it.

_Oh God, someone help me_! I could feel my soul thrashing to get out of the hell it had been pulled into. Suddenly I could feel my surroundings again. I felt hands gripping my shoulders tightly. I was being shaken. I could hear screaming from somewhere. I could smell tears. Finally my eyes snapped open to stare into pools of green. I was hyperventilating and my cheeks were wet. My throat felt raw. I looked into the green and finally felt myself relax. The screaming stopped. It barely dawned on me that the tears and the screaming were all me. And the green I had relaxed into was Bickslow's eyes. My body slumped forward as I panted, trying to regain my breath. I could feel my Sight shut down and relaxed further. I looked up at Bickslow with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry about that," I laughed lightly. "I don't know what happened." I didn't want to explain to him that I was sucked into his own personal hell and that I couldn't handle it. He might blame himself. Or worse, get mad at me for diving into his soul. I wouldn't be able to take it if the one person who could understand me and teach me suddenly hated me.

He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly when he felt me relax. "You don't even know how badly you scared me, kid," he sighed. He sounded tired, as if his concern had actually aged him.

I looked up at him indignantly. "I am not a kid," I huffed. I pulled out of his embrace and crossed my arms over my chest. "I'm 19, you know."

He chuckled and shook his head. "That's younger than me, so that makes you a kid." He ruffled my hair causing me to huff again.

"I can still kick your ass," I mumbled, looking away. His loud guffaws had my head snapping forward to look at him with a glare. At my expression, he stopped laughing and calmed himself before smiling at me.

Quick as it came, his smile disappeared and was replaced with a frown. "I know why you became so upset." His voice was so quiet, I almost didn't hear him. I wish I hadn't.

I could feel my face drain of color as I stared at him in horror. "I swear, it's not what you think."

"You got pulled into the emotions my soul displays. I get it. It's a common occurrence for soul mages to fall prey to the deeper emotions. They threaten to pull the individual in so it's understandable that they would try to pull in other people. You don't have to act so ashamed or horrified. I understand. I'm one of the few people who do." His voice only grew softer as he spoke that I had to strain to hear him.

I bowed my head after composing my expression so as not to give anything away to him. "I'm sorry," I mumbled. "I didn't mean to look. I tried to overlook it."

He shook his head. "No. You wouldn't have been able to. As a soul mage, your powers automatically seek out other souls to engage with. It's a natural thing. You can't fight it, unfortunately."

I looked up at his seemingly pained expression and put my hand on his arm in an attempt to comfort him. "I hope that you will teach me more about my magic so that this kind of thing doesn't happen again. Or at least, won't be this intense and surprising." I smiled at him softly and saw his frown slowly curl up at the edges.

"Of course I'll teach you!" He stood up and offered his hand to me. I looked up at his hand and at his face not covered by the visor and smiled. He helped me to my feet and I brushed myself off. "Someone needs to teach you the odds and ends of this power. Maybe you'll even surpass me one day."

I shook my head. "There's no way I could ever surpass you. You've got years on me for learning this power."

He smiled and pat my head. This was becoming a habit for him. "True, but you'll catch up. I have faith."

I smiled at skipped in front of him to head back into the guild. "Well at least one of us does. Now come on! I'm starving. I haven't eaten a real meal since I left my village." I smiled wide at him and opened the door for him.

He smirked down at me and my enthusiasm and led the way back to the table we just came from. I sat down at the table with Bickslow to my right and looked over at Laxus. He was leaning back in his chair with his legs outstretched and crossed at the ankles. He had his soundpods over his ears and his eyes closed. I could kind of hear his rock music filtering through. Suddenly his eyes popped open to stare at me. His stormy eyes kept me rooted to my spot and I kept my gaze on him, not wanting to look away. They were just so "captivating," I whispered without thinking.

My eyes went wide and I slapped a hand over my mouth. I could feel my cheeks burning under my hand and looked to the rest of the Thunder God Tribe as they hid their giggles behind their hands. Laxus only raised an eyebrow at me and a slow smirk crawled across his face.

"Is that so?" His voice was too cocky. I wanted so bad to beat it out of him.

I flipped my hair and sat back in my chair. "The arrogance that lurks behind your eyes is captivating," I said haughtily in an attempt to save myself from further embarrassment. "I mean, how could someone be that full of themselves?"

Full-blown laughter could be heard from around the table but I ignored it and kept my eyes on Laxus's expression. He seemed slightly taken aback before resting into a knowing expression. "You're a rotten liar." He flicked my nose and laughed.

My cheeks burned hotter. "Don't flick my nose like I'm a dog! Do I look like a dog to you?"

He leveled his scrutinizing gaze on me. "No you're right." I sighed and nodded with a huff. "You remind me more of a pup."

I glared at him. "That's it!" I jumped out of my chair at him, causing us to fall to the ground. "You're going to pay, Blondie!" I tried to keep him under me so I could attempt some semblance of control over this brawl I was starting.

"Oi! Don't call me that!" He easily pushed me off of him to the ground where I landed on my ass. I looked up at him and growled. I went to lunge at him again but he was on me in a second. He held me down easily and started to poke and prod at my sides.

"No! Get off!" I flinched away from a spot where his fingers touched and my eyes went wide. He seemed to realize what happened because he smirked. "No! Don't you even dare!"

I was too late and too weak to push him off. Soon laughter ripped itself from my throat as his fingers tickled my sides relentlessly. I thrashed under his weight in an attempt to get away. "So you have a choice," he said calmly above me. He continued his attack as I screamed out my protests. "Either suffer longer, or never call me 'Blondie' again. These are your only two options."

I shook my head back and forth and grabbed his wrists trying to make him let go. "I'll never listen to you, Blondie," I managed to wheeze out between laughs.

"Oh you're in for it now, Eve," I heard Bickslow laugh from his spot at the table.

"You should have just conceded, Evangeline," Freed commented.

"I wish I could help but then where's the fun in that?" Ever definitely did not sound sorry.

He grunted and stopped his tickling much to my relief. But my time to breathe was short-lived. He picked me up and threw me over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. When I finally got a look at the guild around me, they all had mixed emotions. Some looked amused, some were shocked and somewhat afraid, and the others were apologetic. It was those last two groups that had me concerned for what my next fate would be.

I was suddenly thrown in the air. I started screaming and watched the people in the guild get smaller under me before they grew in size and got closer to me. Laxus caught me by my ankle, my hair grazing the wood floor. And then I was in the air again. He caught me the same way, except he tossed me lightly in the air so that I flipped and he grabbed me under my arms. He looked me in the eye.

"You gonna stop yet, Tater Tot?"

I clenched my teeth. "Tater Tot?! Now I definitely won't stop, Blondie."

He shrugged. "I can do this all day."

I scream tore through my throat again as soon as I was in the air and rapidly approaching the ground. This time, Laxus caught me by my ankle and then lowered me so that my nose touched the floor. He went to throw me again before I finally conceded.

"Okay, I give!" He looked down at me and tossed me to grab me under my arms again.

"What was that?"

"I give up. I won't call you Blondie anymore. Just please don't throw me again," I sighed. My cheeks were still burning from the embarrassment of being treated like a child.

He chuckled to himself and set me down on my feet. "Good girl," he teased. "Now go back to the table."

I glared and walked back over. I sat down with a huff and ignored Ever and Bickslow's laughing. Laxus followed with a smile on his face.

Mirajane walked over to the table with a sly smile on her face. She looked over at Laxus. "So what was that all about Laxus?" Something about her seemed off, but I couldn't quite place my finger on it.

Laxus grunted. "The tater tot thought it'd be funny to tease me. So I responded in kind." He shrugged. Mirajane smiled and looked at me.

"So you teased him huh? That was the most adorable thing I've ever seen," she laughed.

Laxus growled softly. "Mira, watch it."

"You two were so cute! I've never seen Laxus act that way with anyone before. Not even the members of his team see that side of him."

I looked over at him with a smile. "So I'm special, huh?"

A light blush dusted his cheeks. "Yeah, whatever," he grumbled. "I already see you like a little sister."

I grinned and poked his arm. "You're too cute." I giggled at him.

He snapped his teeth at me. "Not entirely."

I shook my head with a smile and turned back to Mira. "Could I get something to eat, please?"

She nodded and took out a notepad. "What do you want?"

"How much does everything cost?" My brows furrowed as I pondered how much money I had with me right now.

"Hey, order whatever you want. My treat," Bickslow said with a grin. I smiled wide at him and nodded before turning back to the barmaid.

"I want a double bacon cheeseburger with pickles but no onions or tomatoes. I also want a side of French fries with ketchup. And a chocolate shake." Mira nodded after writing all of that down and walked off to the kitchen to make my food.

I looked back to Bickslow. "Thanks Bee. I appreciate it," I said.

Laxus whistled. "That's gonna be a lot of food. Are you sure you don't want just a salad?"

I glared at him. "No way! That's too small. And I went easy on the food since someone else was paying."

"That was easy?" Bickslow looked shocked but amused. "You're going to make me broke with that order." I knew he was joking but I frowned anyway. He looked up to see me opening my mouth to apologize. "I'm kidding. Calm down. I make enough to feed you for a month if you eat like that all the time." I flashed him a dazzling smile and nodded.

I tackled him in a tight hug. "You're the nicest, Bee!"

"Bee? Why are you calling me that?" He wheezed as he hugged me back.

"You needed a nickname. And you didn't protest the first time I said it so that means it's okay." I giggled and went back to my seat. My food was deposited in front of me and I nearly drooled. "Thank you Mira." I flashed her a smile and dug into my food.

The rest of the afternoon passed by too quickly for my tastes but we enjoyed it nonetheless. We simply sat at the table and joked and told each other stories from our lives. I didn't contribute much in the way of experiences but I did harass my new friends when I could. I could tell that this was going to be my family. I was going to be happy here. I was finally going to know what a home was and what it meant to have a real family. My life was definitely taking a turn for the better.

**Hope you guys liked this update. I wasn't really sure about it. So give me some feedback so I know what to do next. Same rule as last time applies. I will not update without at least one review. Hope to hear from you soon. **


	4. A Real Home

**Hey guys, sorry it took so long to update. College sure is fun, huh. Anyway, I finally got my update done. So here it is for you. I hope you like it. Thank you to Silverwolf202 for encouraging me to write. Just that one review was enough to make me **_**want**_** to update. But I must say, that I will not update unless I have at least one review. I just want to feel like someone is still reading and wants to know what happens to my characters. Please and thank you!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does. **

We were all laughing and having a good time when Mira approached us with a bright smile. She looked at Laxus and touched his arm lightly, an action that did not go unnoticed by me. I tilted my head slightly to the side at the exchange.

"Hey guys, I need to close up," she said sheepishly. "I hate to interrupt this sweet scene but it is pretty late."

Laxus looked up at her with a smile tugging on the corner of his lips, but not pulling hard enough to form a smile. His eyes seemed to glow when he looked at her. "Yeah, we'll head out now," he said in a low voice before turning to the rest of us. "Alright guys, let's go."

Everyone stood and collected their things. I stood as well and followed them outside when it hit me. I don't have a home to go back to. I paused, falling behind the group, and opened up my purse to check on my funds. I only had enough jewels for one night. How am I going to make the money to rent a room or a house? I haven't even picked up a job yet.

I could feel my heart sink into my stomach as I thought about my homelessness and financial situation. I started making calculations in my head about average pricing for renting and how much a hotel might cost in a frenzy. I guess my pause got the attention of the rest of the group because they all stopped and turned to me standing in the middle of the street, zoned out like an imbecile.

"Hey," Bickslow called out to me. When I didn't answer, he stepped up to me and got into my field of vision. "Hey," he said a little softer. "What's going on?"

I just stared at him with a blank expression that suddenly turned into one of fear. "I just realized I don't have a lot of money for a hotel or for renting a room."

Bickslow stared at me without saying a word for a few moments before bursting into uncontrollable laughter. The group behind him stayed quiet before finally joining in the laughter as well. I just stared at them in utter confusion. When they collected themselves, Laxus shook his head with a smile stuck on his face.

"Do you not realize your situation, Tater Tot?" he said with a chuckle. "You're coming with us."

I cocked my head to the side. "Why? I don't live with you guys."

"Now you do," Bickslow said. "We know you don't have a home. But that changes tonight. From now on you're one of us. And the Thunder God Tribe lives together at Laxus's mansion."

Everyone nodded at me with smiles gracing their faces. "Really?" I asked in disbelief.

"Of course," Freed said with a nod. "You are Laxus's kid sister in a way too. So we have to accommodate for that as well. As it stands now, we have an extra room available." He smiled even wider at me to make me feel more comfortable.

I looked around at the faces looking at me with a sort of serene comfort I haven't felt in my entire lifetime. "You mean it?" I couldn't help the hopefulness that filled my voice as I spoke. "You're not messing with me for the heck of it?"

Laxus chuckled deeply from behind everyone. "I can assure you Tater Tot, that you are indeed one of us," he said heartily. "You are like a sister to me. And don't you forget that. We've already established this." He ruffled my hair a little bit before turning to walk away.

The rest of the Thunder God Tribe followed him but they all paused to turn around and make sure I was still following. I smiled wide and ran up to them, grasping Laxus's hand. I looked up into his storm-grey eyes and grinned.

"I want a piggy-back ride," I declared with excitement. He didn't even have a chance to respond. I jumped on to his back, locking my legs around his waist and grabbing hold of his blond hair so as not to lose my grip.

He let out a loud grunt at my pulling and gripped my wrists to pull me higher on his back so I wouldn't fall. I wrapped my arms around his neck and simply let him carry me to what he has decided is my new home. I rest my head against the large expanse of his back and smiled at the team nudging him and poking fun at the idea of him carrying me like a child, calling him "softie" and the like. I closed my eyes in content at their antics and felt the warmth of unconsciousness filling my mind and pulling me deeper under.

I woke up some time later to darkness surrounding me. It took me a few moments to adjust and notice that I was laying in a bed decorated with a thick comforter that felt almost like suede and the softest sheets I've ever felt in my life. Though, in all honesty, a piece of paper would be a softer sheet than the one I grew up with in my village. I was still in my clothes from the day and I had drool running down my chin. I spent some time simply sitting in the darkness to get a grasp on my surroundings. Breaking through the silence was the sound of someone opening a fridge door and shutting it. I could hear the bottles shaking against each other in the door.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, realizing my feet dangled a good six inches off the ground. Happy to be in such a big bed, I giggled and bounced off the mattress to land on the floor. Immediately, a hiss left my lips as my bare feet made contact with the cold wood floor. After taking another moment to get used to the feeling, I padded my way over to the door illuminated only by the moonlight streaming in through the window that I now saw was resting over the bed's headboard. The room sure was beautiful with only the moon as a light source. It bathed the entire room in its eerie glow, bringing forward a feeling of warmth only the moon could invoke.

I made my way out of the room and followed the sounds I could now hear more clearly coming from downstairs. Bickslow was laughing at something and Freed was admonishing him for something. Then came the sound of Ever's fan hitting the top of someone's head, probably Bickslow's. I'm guessing he said something inappropriate to her. Without realizing it, I was at the bottom of the stairs and I was watching exactly what I assumed was happening. I took a step back so as not to disturb anyone and ran into a wall. I turned around to get around it but noticed that it wasn't a wall, but a chest. And that chest shaking and a deep throaty laugh was disturbing the air around me.

A deep blush colored my cheeks when I felt his arm go around me to turn to face the amused expressions of the rest of the team. I turned my head to bury it into Laxus's side as my blush deepened even further. The group continued to laugh from the living room before I was lifted into the air suddenly and was flying around the room on a set of shoulders that were slightly too narrow to belong to Laxus. I threw my hands down on top of their head so I wouldn't fall and looked down. My hands were resting on soft blue hair, left uncovered by his usual knight-style helmet. I bent forward slightly further to look at Bickslow's face and saw nothing but amusement dancing in his green eyes. I smiled and laughed with him as he ran around the room, jostling me slightly.

After a couple minutes of our antics I finally decided I was done and just slumped over his head. He stopped moving and grabbed my waist. I bolted upright, nervous at what he was planning. But he simply tilted me forward again over his head and flipped me over off his shoulders and onto the couch in front of us. My head landed in Freed's lap and I stared up at him with wide eyes. I guess being flipped over by only a pair of hands is a little bit anxiety-provoking for me—good to know.

He chuckled at me and started combing his fingers through my hair. Pleasantly surprised, I immediately flipped onto my side so that he could play with my hair more. With a sigh of content, I slid my eyes closed and a smile crawled over my face. No one has ever played with my hair before, for fear of the "evil" spreading to them.

My eyes opened slightly to see Bickslow pick up my legs covering the other end of the couch before sitting down, and dropping them into his lap. He rested a hand against my knee and another on the arm of the couch and just stared at the TV lacrima I didn't know was on. I looked over to the loveseat adjacent to us on the couch to see Laxus and Ever sitting together. Laxus was watching me while Ever watched the program with disinterest. I looked back up to Freed, who hadn't stopped playing with my hair the whole time. He smiled down at me and just raked his fingernails across my scalp and following my hair to the ends.

Turning back to the lacrima, I sighed, "No one has ever played with my hair before."

Freed hummed in acknowledgement. "Why not?"

I shrugged slightly. "I don't know. I think they were afraid the so-called 'evil' living in me was contagious or something. No one ever touched me. I really haven't had a lot of human contact in a long time."

Bickslow's grip on my knee tightened slightly. "Well that's going to change," he grumbled. "You're part of Fairy Tail now. It's nothing but human contact." He turned to me and gave me a tight smile. But his eyes were dark and he looked like he was upset. I didn't even need to Read him to know that.

I turned to Freed with an apologetic look before sitting up and switching sides so that my head was Bickslow's lap and my feet in Freed's. Freed had no qualms about my change in position and simply rested his hand against my knee like Bickslow had. I turned to look at Bickslow and gathered all my hair off his lap.

"Play with my hair," I demanded of him.

He stared at me with wide eyes in disbelief. "Excuse me?"

"Play. With. My. Hair. How is that difficult to understand? Now come on. It'll keep me relaxed." I flashed him a playful smile before laying my head in his lap again and watching the program.

It didn't take long before I felt his fingers entangled in my hair. But this time, when his fingernails raked against my scalp and through my hair like Freed did, a shiver ran down my spine. I thought it was just an errant chill. Maybe I'm just cold. But he did it again and the shiver ran down my back once more. But this time, it felt like electricity in my nerves. I turned my head to Bickslow to see him making a face of wonder and staring at his hand.

"You felt that," I observed. I didn't even need to ask him what _it_ was, I just knew he felt that electricity too. He had to have, to make that face.

Suddenly, Bickslow's face contorted into one of worry and then disbelief before looking down at me with another tight smile. "You felt it?"

"Yeah. It was like electricity was lighting up every nerve in my body. What was that?" I cocked my head to the side, my hair falling over my shoulder. His eyes glanced at my neck before going back to my neck.

He relaxed his smile and shook his head. "It's nothing. I think I might be conducting Lighning Breath's electricity over there." He laughed and pointed a finger in the direction of Laxus who was now glaring at Bickslow, lightning crackling around him.

I laughed. "Maybe. It might also be mine." I grinned, my own lightning crackling against my skin.

Bickslow laughed at me as he usually does. For some reason, it sounded off. I shook my head internally. No, I'm just imagining things. I yawned and decided I had done enough for the day. I stood up and stretched, my tank top lifting a little bit above my navel before settling back over my jeans.

"I'm going to bed," I declared, walking around the couch to the stairs. "I'll see you in the morning. And Ever," I called to her. She looked up at me. "Can we go shopping tomorrow? When I left home, I didn't really grab anything." I chuckled, rubbing the back of my head.

She smiled and nodded, her eyes bright at the prospect of dragging me from store to store. I rolled my eyes at her enthusiasm and turned to walk up the stairs. I shut the bedroom door behind me, stripping off my pants as I made my way to the bed. I jumped up onto the mattress and buried myself in the covers. I smiled at the day I had and looked down at my chest, exposed by my tank top. The crimson guild mark seemed to glow against my skin. I smiled softly and placed my hand over it. It felt warm too. I sighed to myself and closed my eyes, allowing myself to fall into a deep slumber. My dreams were filled with anticipation of the days to come now that I was a mage of Fairy Tail.


	5. Shopping Day

**A big thanks to all of those who continue to read my stories. Especially this one. I understand OC stories aren't really the most popular of fanfictions but you guys stick with me. So thanks for that. I'll try to update when I can, but college is kind of hard, you know? But thanks so much!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairytail. Hiro Mashima does. **

The next morning greeting me warmly, the sun's rays settling over the bed covers from above me and warming my feet. I could feel the warmth spread up my legs as the sun rose higher, its rays doing the same in an attempt to rouse me from sleep. I finally popped my eyes open and stared at the lamp on the bedside table. My purse lay there, beaten and weathered from the many years I had used it and the many times I dropped it. My eyes dragged along the wooden floor to the dresser facing the bed where a pile of cloth sat atop it.

I sat up slowly and let the covers slip over my chest and pool around my hips, shivering slightly at the chill in the air. I ignored it though and got out of the bed, padding over the wooden furniture. Standing in front of it, I saw that it wasn't just cloth, it was a set of clothes folded nicely for me. They must have been Ever's…unless one of the guys—maybe Bickslow—kept an outfit laying around for the odd girl or two that happened to stay the night. At the thought, my skin itched and my heart clenched.

My brows furrowed at the curious reaction and I placed my hand over my heart as if I could feel what was wrong with it. I shook my head against the odd feeling and picked up the clothes lent to me.

It was a simple black tank top—low enough to show off my guild mark but not so low that I'm exposed. Under the top lay a folded pair of ripped skinny jeans that I prayed to any gods available would fit me. I blushed at what I found under the beautiful clothes. Ever had taken it upon herself to go out and buy me a new lingerie set to wear—black with red lace trim. Granted they were beautiful, but they were also my size…she must have checked for my sizes while I slept. If she were anyone else, I would have felt violated and angry.

With a small smile, I picked up the pile and walked over to the door next to the dresser in search of the bathroom. This door, however, was actually a large walk-in closet with only a few pairs of shoes belonging to the boys laying around. I smiled at the beauty of the idea of having a huge closet and sighed, wondering if I would ever manage to fill it up. Shaking my head, I exited the closet and tried the other door closest to the wall where the bed's headboard rested. I walked in and whistled low.

The bathroom was a real dream. Black granite countertops surrounded the white porcelain sink, with a perfect stainless steel faucet. The navy plaster around me dragged my eyes to the beautiful frosted glass shower doors encasing dark brown stone slabs and the white porcelain bathtub nestled up on the opposite wall. As much as I appreciated the luxury, I really didn't feel like taking a bath right now. I just wanted to shower and get ready for the day. The sun indicated it was already nearing noon.

With a new spring in my step, and excitement glittering in my eyes, I turned the faucet to the shower and stripped a little too fast, losing my balance slightly and nearly falling into the glass door headfirst. After righting myself with a smile, I stepped under the scalding spray of water falling from above me and exhaled a deep breath.

I've never bathed like this before. I've never been able to step under a warm shower and simply enjoy the process of bathing. In general, I've never really had a lot. My village made sure I felt ostracized and alone. They wouldn't let me have a lot of material things, and they definitely wouldn't let me have any emotional contact either. I was a pariah. I was hated and feared and shunned, even by my own family.

Sniffling, I wiped my tears from my eyes and turned my head up into the water to feel it burn away the tear tracks from my cheeks. I shook my head. I couldn't let myself think about these things. All that was behind me. Now I was a Fairy Tail member. I was loved and cared for by the Rajinshuu. I finally have a family. There's no need to think about _those_ people. They aren't family and never were. They were a stepping stone to my real family.

A smile crawled across my face. I think I finally found true happiness. I quickly finished up washing and stepped out onto the thick cushy rug I had missed stepping in. My toes squished the fibers beneath them as I grabbed a fluffy black towel off the rack next to me. Wrapping myself in it and twisting my hair up into a bun, I walked over to the counter where the clothes were sitting. After a quick dry, I threw the clothes on and smiled. Not only did I look amazing, but my guild mark was bared quite nicely without being trashy.

Nodding at my reflection, I walked out of the steamy bathroom and out of the bedroom to head to where I could hear everyone talking and laughing. Once downstairs, I watched them quietly with a lazy smile on my face. Ever was smacking Bickslow upside the head again with her fan—seriously, when will he ever learn? Freed was sitting at the table with his ankle cross over the opposite knee, a book in his hand and his eyes never leaving the pages in front of him. Laxus was in the kitchen with an apron that looked way too small compared to his build donned over his clothes. My guess is it belongs to Freed. A small giggle escaped my lips before I could stop it.

Laxus perked his head up immediately and turned to me. He quickly figured out what I was giggling about and glared, pointing his spatula at me. But the sight in itself was too hilarious, I burst out laughing, holding my side. Everyone looked up and between me and Laxus, confused as all hell. My knees couldn't hold me up anymore and I fell to the ground, almost hitting my head on the stairs. My laughter must have been contagious because soon Bickslow started laughing along with Ever. Freed stared at me curiously while Laxus continued to glare.

Grumbling, he turned back to what he was cooking. Eventually, I was able to stop laughing and stood up, holding onto the railing of the staircase to help me. Bickslow and Ever looked at me with huge smiles, happy for the entertainment.

"So what the hell was that, Eve?" Bickslow laughed.

I giggled. "Laxus just doesn't look like the type to own an apron…and I was just thinking how the apron agreed," I explained, walking over to Laxus to give him a brief hug. He grunted in response, but I knew I was forgiven. I smiled and walked over to the still chuckling Bickslow and Ever, plopping down in the chair between them.

When I looked over to Bickslow to ask him how he was, my heart skipped a beat out of nowhere, making me frown. I looked up at him with my head tilted to the side in question. But I knew he wouldn't know what had just happened to me. He stared at me in question as well.

"You good?" He looked at me with concern in his eyes.

I nodded slowly before turning to Ever and launching into a conversation about our shopping day today. I tried my best to forget about the weird thudding in my chest every time Bickslow looked into my eyes with talk of shoes and clothes and whatnot. I went over the amount of money in my head that I had in my purse right now. I may not have enough for a hotel or a house, but I have enough for a pair of shoes or a top or something.

Out of nowhere, Laxus slammed the food down on the table in front of me. There were plates of pancakes, sausage, bacon, waffles, and eggs, all waiting to be devoured. The feeling of a napkin against my chin woke me from my thoughts. I looked over at Bickslow, who was laughing under his breath, as he wiped under my chin. I frowned at him, ignoring the thundering in my chest.

"You're drooling," he said calmly, a grin spreading across his face.

I felt my entire face burn at both his grin and the fact that I just drooled in front of everyone. I snatched the napkin from him to wipe up my own drool when our hands touched briefly. Again, just like last night, a shock of electricity shot through my fingertips and down my spine. I narrowed my eyes at him. By the way he was vehemently avoiding my glare, he knew what was going on. I opened my mouth to ask him about it when Laxus ordered me to "start shoving food in my mouth before he did it for me."

Without question, I gathered all the food I wanted onto my plate and started eating. As each piece of food reached my tongue, I couldn't help but moan. It was so good. Everything was cooked to perfection. The eggs were fluffy, the pancakes moist, the waffles perfectly crispy outside and soft inside. The sausage and bacon were perfectly greasy and set my tongue ablaze with all kinds of spices and flavors. I was so happy that I had completely forgotten the exchange with Bickslow.

Once finished, Ever turned to me. "I have a surprise for you," she said excitedly. She bent over to her other side away from me and pulled up a box. She set it on the table and pushed it to me, Laxus having already picked up my plate away from me before I could eat it too.

I stared at it excitedly. I didn't even hesitate. I opened the box and reached inside, pulling out a pair of 5-inch stiletto platform heels. They were black suede with a delicate red lace trim flush against the heel and lining the edges. My mouth flung open at the sight of them in awe. A rush of air left my lungs as I turned to Ever.

"Holy hell," I breathed. "They are beautiful! They must have cost you a fortune!" I rubbed my hand gently against the suede, careful of the lace.

"They did. But don't you even think about trying to pay me back for them. They are a gift," she asserted. "And same goes for the shopping for today. All of it is on me." She smiled wide at my shocked expression.

"Really?" I was so excited; I couldn't keep the grin off my face for even a second.

She nodded before leaning in to whisper in my ear. "They also match the little set I got you today." She giggled when she saw the blush reddening my cheeks as I stared at the heels.

"What did she say, Laxus?" Bickslow asked suddenly. We all turned around to see Laxus with his face really red and his eyes not meeting mine. That's when I realized he could hear Ever and my blush deepened. At this display, Ever couldn't hold it in. She just started laughing loudly at our embarrassment. And soon, Bickslow and Freed joined in, not knowing what they were laughing at but knowing that me and Laxus being embarrassed at the same thing is hilarious.

Later, it was just Ever and me walking side by side down the streets of Magnolia. She was showing me all her favorite shops and dragging me to every one she felt like I could find something in. I really did find a lot I liked too, so she wasn't far off. She had already gotten a grasp of my style in the short time we've known each other.

She was sitting on the sofa outside the changing room while I was trying on a few different dresses she had picked out when she spoke up. "So," she said slowly.

"So what?" I asked, trying to get the stupid zipper up my side.

"What was that with Bickslow this morning?"

A light blush dusted my cheeks again at the memory of this morning. I stifled the smile trying to make its way onto my face, finally getting the zipper to the top. "I don't know what you're talking about."

I stepped out to show Ever, only to see her looking at me with a raised brow and her lips pursed. "Don't even try lying to me. I see all."

I sighed and turned to the mirror to get a good look at myself. It was a red halter-top dress that clung to my bust and then loosened around my waist, before fluttering around my mid-thigh. I have to admit it was extremely flattering. I smiled at the exposed guild mark before turning to Ever.

"I don't really know myself," I admitted. "Every time I touch him I feel this spark of electricity shoot down my spine. Every time I look at him my heart either skips a beat or thunders against my ribcage. And he knows something, because he wouldn't look at me this morning after the electricity shot down my spine again. Last night, he could feel the same electricity I could. He knows something about what's going on and refuses to tell me. It's definitely something abnormal because it only happens with him."

When I looked up from the floor, Ever was grinning stupidly at me. She walked over to me and put her hands on my shoulders, looking me in the eyes. "Honey," she said softly. "You love him. And he knows it too."

I blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. "Excuse me?"

She sighed in exasperation. "It's something Bickslow explained to us a long time ago when we asked him why he never got serious with anyone. Seith mages all have a Soul mate. Once you meet them, the process begins. I don't know too much about it, so you have to ask Bickslow. But I do know that you two are Soul mates. And there's no running from it."

I kept staring at her before realization sunk in and my face turned bright red. "Oh," I mumbled. "But why wouldn't he say anything?"

"He's probably just as nervous as you are," she explained, running her fingers through my hair, still slightly damp from this morning's shower. She removed her hand and glared at me. "Why is your hair wet?"

I looked up at her sheepishly. "I don't have a hair dryer."

She rolled her eyes and groaned. "Alright, come on, get changed."

After buying the dress, we left the store and entered another shop full of all kinds of stuff for hair and beauty. Without even consulting me, she started pulling electronic products off the shelves and putting them in a little hand basket she had picked up. I simply followed, not really caring about my lack of input. I didn't know anything about this stuff anyway.

At the end of her spur of the moment trip I was holding a straightener, curler, blow dryer, heat protection spray, frizz control smoothing cream, two bottles of shampoo, two bottles of conditioner, 5 different bottles of perfume, and a crap ton of make-up. I enjoyed the hair stuff since I love my hair, but the make-up was slightly unnecessary. When I asked her why I needed so much beauty stuff, she just stared at me until I looked away and kept walking.

The rest of the shopping trip went by smoothly. I got more outfits and some toiletries I needed for just general use. At the end of it, she dragged me to the final store of the day. It was a lingerie shop. Without stopping, she started pulling sets off the racks and throwing them into my hands.

"Do I need to try these on?" I asked, looking at a pastel lace set, uneasily.

"Yes. Sometimes they don't match the person's personality. But just the bras. Not the panties. Don't be that person." She said nothing more as she picked up more sets and threw them into my hands.

I went to try them all on for her amusement. By the fourth bra, I started getting into it and laughing at the ridiculous amounts of lace. By the tenth one, we were both just having a blast. Finally, it all ended with her buying me 15 lingerie sets she approved of and I felt comfortable in.

The walk home looked tedious and long so I decided to try one trick I did know with my lightning. "Ever," I called out to her when she tried to walk towards the main road. "Come here and bring the bags."

Once she had collected our bags we had left in a store with a friend of hers who worked there, she stood next to me and stared at me curiously. I laid my hand on her shoulder and closed my eyes, imagining the house I woke up in this morning. I felt my lightning crackling around my skin and charging the air around us. I'm sure I heard Ever mumble something about "lightning freaks" and "ruining my hair" before I could feel a sharp rush of air around us and the ground disappearing from under my feet. Within seconds, the ground was once again resting under my feet. I opened my eyes and saw that we were standing in the backyard with Laxus staring at us, but I couldn't tell if it was amusement in his eyes or pride. Then his eyes caught the bags in Ever's and my hands and it was officially amusement.

"So…did you buy Magnolia?" he snorted.

Ever glared while I blushed a little bit. "Ever got excited," I explained. "Apparently I didn't have enough of everything." I waved my hand airily.

"Hey the girls have come back!" I just knew that voice without even seeing the body with it. My heart seemed to warm at the sound and expand, as if it were being filled. A grin split across my face randomly and a blush settled in my cheeks.

And right on cue, Bickslow barreled out of the house to stand next to Laxus on the deck. As soon as our eyes met, a little bit of electricity encased my heart. I smiled softly and looked away quickly before my face could burn under my blush.

He seemed to notice though, because when I glanced over, he was staring at me curiously. Ever glanced between the two of us and rolled her eyes. "Come on," she groaned. "Let's go get all this stuff put away. Bickslow come help us."

I stared at her wide eyed as Bickslow groaned and started walking over. I blushed when he glanced at me before he picked up the bags from my arms. Speechless, I just followed Ever and Bickslow to my bedroom where they set everything down on the floor in front of the closet. Shy, Bickslow took back a couple pairs of shoes he had left in there.

Ever left as soon as everything was on the floor, leaving Bickslow and me alone. We stood there in awkward silence for a few moments, not really looking at each other. Our eyes met for a moment and I had to fight to keep the contact. My heart was racing in my chest and my cheeks were burning. I felt like I might have a heart attack.

Bickslow rubbed the back of his neck nervously and looked away. "Well, I guess I'll just let you be," he said. He turned to walk out the door before I grabbed his elbow, with my eyes on the floor.

"Just stay here, please," I said softly. "I need to talk to you."

**Thanks guys for reading my story. I hope to read your reviews soon. **


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